I am Anita C. Law, CRNA.
The seventh of 10 children, I grew up in a small coal camp in West Virginia. I first decided to become a nurse when my father became ill and I helped him with his medication. I pursued that dream and graduated from the WVU School of Nursing. After working in the field for several years, I decided to continue my education through nurse anesthesia. As a proud graduate of CAMC School of Nurse Anesthesia, I have spent most of my career working in hospitals in Beckley, WV.
My profession has been very rewarding and I encourage youth, especially African Americans, to consider an education in healthcare, particularly nursing. I will always remember Annette Hightower, the first African American to graduate from anesthesia school and work as a CRNA in WV. She was also the first African American CRNA I had the privilege to work with as a student. She was kind, soft-spoken and very knowledgeable. The first thing we did before we started our workday was to pray. We prayed over the anesthesia machine and we prayed for safe anesthesia and a good day. She was wonderfully encouraging to me as a student.
I strive to inspire the next generation to fulfill their dreams and encourage them to achieve higher education and reach for the stars.
